Elysian – Dry Hopped Corporate Beer Doesn't Suck — DH Loser Coming In March

Everybody makes mistakes, right? And sometimes those mistakes lead to great things. The invention of beer itself was probably the result of grain that got wet, went through a spontaneous enzymatic reduction, then fermented and produced something that even if not delicious right off the bat was at least, well, effective. Penicillin was an accident, and so were a lot of other things we’d have a hard time imagining doing without in our daily lives. Chocolate and peanut butter? I rest my case.

Not to be considered better or worse than other innovative mistake-makers, brewers have throughout history been contributing to their own canon by double milling, double hopping, souring, forgetting and generally deviating from established procedure. The result In some cases, of course, is beer down the drain. But in others, new variations on a theme can occur, often leading to whole new beers, even mainstays familiar not only to followers of particular breweries, but beer drinkers at large.

We’d be lying if we claimed at Elysian to be exempt from making these kinds of mistakes. Lo and behold, witness Dry-hopped Loser, a hybrid version of our familiar strong-ish pale ale with a bracing dry-hopped finish of Citra and Amarillo. Was this variation on purpose? We think you know the answer to that. But is it delicious? Yes it is. The tropical hop backbone of Sorachi Ace is displayed in concert with the usual Crystal to finish, but with the aggressive juicy dry-hopping of two classic Northwest aroma hops. We like it so much, in fact, that it’s our next Dick’s Pick, celebrating not only favorite recipes from the Elysian archives but things that just strike us right.

Dry-hopped Loser will be available exclusively on draft throughout Elysian’s distribution network, including in all Elysian pubs, beginning a bit before March 1. Check it out and give us your input. This is a tasty mistake that just might be made again.

Dick Cantwell

Head Brewer

:: MARCH 2015